By Martin Wileman
For many, running is something they do, for others it’s a part of who they are. Hillsborough is home to two such individuals.
Elementary school PE teacher, Russell Westbrook, has been teaching for over 20 years. His passion for the sport is evident in the way his students enthusiastically participate in his year-round lap program, as well as a twice a week after school running program. For many students, and their families, participation in these programs culminates in the Got Grit? 5K, held each May in Hillsborough.
Tom Carr, retired school counselor and founder of the Got Grit? Organization is a lifelong runner. The Got Grit? 5K, now in its seventh year, has always been popular with Hillsborough families. At this year’s race one spectator, himself a runner since the late ‘70s, said “Wow! There are a lot more kids than I remember!” He was beaming as he watched his three grandchildren, along many other participants under the age of 18.
In 2013, Westbrook and Carr, with two friends, founded the Hillsborough Running Club, with a vision to encourage residents of Hillsborough and the surrounding area to also discover a love of running and keep fit.
It is community in which organizers like Tom Carr and Russell Westbrook can encourage children and their parents to get outside, celebrate their community, and be active. Hillsborough hosts many short distance races, however, the Hillsborough Running Club founders had long dreamed of bringing a longer distance race to Hillsborough. With so many places to visit in Hillsborough and so many beautiful routes to choose from, including the recently extended Riverwalk, this year seemed the perfect time to turn that dream into a reality.
Planning for the Inaugural Historic Hillsborough Half Marathon and Fleet Feet 5K on Sunday October 2 began months ago. This event has received the full support of the Town, the Mayor (regularly sighted walking along the Riverwalk), the Hillsborough Historic Alliance and the Tourism Board.
Founded in 1754, Hillsborough is well known for its rich history. The downtown district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, features more than 100 homes, churches, schools and other structures from the late 18th and 19th centuries.
For anyone visiting Hillsborough today, they will see a bustling downtown, filled with many great restaurants and bars, as well numerous new parks and a fabulous scenic greenway, part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, that runs through the heart of Hillsborough.
The race routes have been designed to showcase many of these historic sites, including the Old Orange County Courthouse, the Colonial Inn, the Burwell School and Margaret Lane Cemetery. Half marathon runners will also run along rolling hills, with views of Occoneechee Mountain, before completing one lap of the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Track, the only surviving dirt track from NASCAR’s inaugural 1949 season. Both routes finish via the popular Riverwalk.
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Martin Wileman started a couch to 5K program with his wife, Lynda in 2011. He ran his first marathon almost a year (and 80lbs) later and has completed 7 marathons, including Boston in 2015. Their two children, Tom (13), and Ellie (10), also run, and have both completed many 5K races. The Hillsborough Running Club operates weekly club runs on Wednesdays and Sundays from Weaver Street Market.
